A group of senior retired military officers has cautioned President Bola Tinubu to be careful on the choice of service chiefs whose names are likely to be announced this week.
According to the group,the President should avoid what it described as landmines in form of ‘sleepery Banana peels’ in choosing his service chiefs.
In a statement on Monday, the group under the aegies of Nigerian Progressive Retired Security Operatives Front,NPRSO, a group of Senior Retired officers cautioned that President Tinubu is about to commit “grievous errors” if he insists on picking from a list of officers who are part of the enthrenched forces that has over the years kept Nigerian security stunted.
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The group mentioned a particular senior military officer from Lagos who is said to have spent close to 500million in bribe to become the Chief of Army Staff.
“We are aware of the desperation of some corrupt and inept top military officers. They have committed no fewer than N500million to bribe some people in order to ensure they secure the posts of Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and the Chief of Defense Staff, (CDS).
The statement signed by Col Samuel Alabi and Mohammed Suleiman, said President Tinubu should be careful not to appoint “men of yesteryears whose conducts continue to fuel terrorism and insurgency”
The group said the current service Chiefs and some of the GOCs are part of a group that wanted to thwart the May 29 handover date.
“They did everything possible to prevent the May 29 handover. They used threat and flagged- off false intelligence to confuse and even intimidate former President Mohammadu Buhari to ensure he would not hand over to President Tinubu
“The same group have been bribing political figures with millions of naira to ensure they get the slots of Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff.”,the statement added.
“They want to lay landmines for the current administration. They are no longer professional soldiers but business men. They are stupendously rich. They are desperate to influence the process with money. This is a poison President Tinubu must avoid.”
The group said President Tinubu will be making a “terrible mistake” if he appoints a police man as National Security Adviser adding that No Military General will ever listen to a Retired Police Officer as NSA alluding to the speculations that former Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC Chairman Nuru Ribadu would be appointed as the NSA
The group said there has been a lot of fault lines in the Armed Forces created by the old order which ensures certain positioning for godsons aligned to the old order which ensures to fight for the control of the Armed Forces through an unimaginary existing structures they manage.
The group said
there have been cases of so many brilliant and qualified officers who have been thrown out of service via this corrupt structure and will always defend such actions with excuses of no space at the top for promotion or lack of geopolitical slots but mediocre officers loyal to the structure are never affected by these templates.
The group cautioned Tinubu not to appoint any of the current Serving Chiefs as the Chief of Defense Staff, CDS.
